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Jake Burger homers twice, but the Chicago White Sox drop their 6th straight with a 6-3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:40 GMT

The Chicago White Sox needed to find a way to keep Jake Burger in the lineup when third baseman Yoán Moncada returned from the injured list Tuesday.So the team moved him to second base.Regardless of the position, Burger continues to do damage at the plate.He homered twice in Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in front of 20,893 at Guaranteed Rate Field.“Burger (hit) the two homers, but that wasn’t enough to do what we came here to do today,” manager Pedro Grifol said.The Sox lost their sixth straight, which is their second-longest slide of the season. They are a season-worst 22 games under .500 at 41-63.“A lot of it is development and trying to get better in areas where you can improve,” Burger said of the focus moving forward. “Trying to stick to that and work as hard as we can and get as many wins and results as we can.”Burger made an impact at the plate with the second multihomer game of his career.He homered in bac...

Typhoon Doksuri makes landfall in China after bringing deadly landslides to Philippines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:40 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Typhoon Doksuri made landfall in China after bringing deadly landslides to the Philippines. The storm plowed into the eastern province of Fujian on Friday morning after bringing heavy rains and gale-force winds to parts of Taiwan, especially the Penghu island group, also known as the Pescadores. In the Philippines, a week of stormy weather across the main island of Luzon caused 39 deaths, including 26 killed in the capsizing of a passenger ship. At least 13 people were reported killed earlier due to Doksuri’s onslaught, mostly due to landslides, flooding and toppled trees, and thousands were displaced, disaster response officials said. More than 20 others remained missing, including four coast guard personnel whose boat overturned while on a rescue mission in hard-hit Cagayan province, disaster response officials said Friday.The storm caused widespread power outages and agricultural damage in the archipelagic country and prompted the suspension of work, classes and se...

Nearly 200 million people in US are under heat or flood advisories

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:40 GMT

Nearly 200 million people in the United States, or 60% of the U.S. population, are under a heat advisory or flood warning or watch as high temperatures spread and new areas are told to expect severe storms.The National Weather Service said a “dangerous” heat wave began to scorch the Northeast and mid-Atlantic on Thursday and will continue into the weekend. Severe thunderstorms and flash floods are possible for parts of the Northeast and South, New England and South Florida. Meanwhile, the string of record-breaking temperatures will persist for the Southwest and Midwest.“It’s (hitting) all the big cities,” said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center. “That’s why the population (affected) is so high.”Scientists have long warned that climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, will lead to more and prolonged bouts of extreme weather. The prediction for continued excessive heat comes a day after the World Me...

Defense Secretary Austin says the US stands with countries against China’s ‘bullying behavior’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:40 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday the United States stands with countries fighting Chinese “bullying behavior” as he launched bilateral talks in Australia aimed at countering Beijing’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Australian city of Brisbane late Thursday ahead of annual bilateral meetings on Friday and Saturday that will focus on a deal to provide Australia, a defense treaty partner, with a fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology.Ahead of a meeting with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, Austin said both countries share concerns about China’s break from international laws and norms that resolve disputes peacefully and without coercion.“We’ve seen troubling P.R.C. coercion from the East China Sea, to the South China Sea, to right here in the Southwest Pacific,” Austin told reporters, referring to the People’s Republic of China.“We’ll conti...

No clarity about who’s in charge in Niger, 2 days after mutinous soldiers ousted the president

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:40 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Two days after mutinous soldiers ousted Niger’s democratically elected president, it was still unclear Friday morning who was running the country and what mediation efforts were underway, as analysts warned that political chaos could set back the fight on extremist groups and increase Russia’s influence in the region.On Thursday, several hundred people gathered in the capital, Niamey, and chanted support for the Russian private military group Wagner while waving Russian flags. Later, they burned cars and ransacked the headquarters of the president’s political party. “We’re fed up,” said Omar Issaka, one of the protestors. “We are tired of being targeted by the men in the bush … Down with the French people. We’re going to collaborate with Russia now,” he said. The soldiers have not announced a leader and President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since its independence from Fra...

Russia says a Ukrainian drone was shot down outside Moscow

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:40 GMT

A Ukrainian drone was shot down early Friday outside Moscow, Russia’s defense ministry said. It was the third drone strike or attempt on the capital region this month.The ministry said there were no injuries or damage in the early morning incident. It did not give details about where the drone was shot down, but said it took place in the Moscow Oblast, a region that surrounds but does not include the city itself.The shootdown adds to concern about Moscow’s vulnerability to attack as the war drags into its 18th month.Two drones struck the Russian capital on Monday, one of them falling in the center of the city near the Defense Ministry’s headquarters along the Moscow River about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the Kremlin. The other drone hit an office building in southern Moscow, gutting several upper floors.In another attack on July 4, the Russian military said four drones were downed by air defenses on the outskirts of Moscow and the fifth was jammed by electronic warfare ...

Wildfires: EU provides crucial assistance to the Mediterranean region

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:40 GMT

As several countries grapple with rapidly spreading wildfires, the EU steps in to reinforce firefighting efforts and provide much-needed support to the affected communities with over 490 firefighters and nine firefighting planes deployed to Greece and Tunisia since 18 July.The two Mediterranean countries have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the EU has swiftly replied. 10 countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Italy, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Serbia) are contributing to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism's response to the wildfires in Greece. In total, over 490 firefighters and seven planes have been deployed to different areas of the country. One EU Liaison Officer is supporting the coordination of operations in Greece and the EU's Copernicus satellite mapping is providing damage assessment on several areas in the Attica region and Rhodes.In addition, two Canadairs from the rescEU reserve hosted by Spain are being deployed to northwest Tunisia.Crisis...

Four-bedroom home sells in Danville for $2.3 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:40 GMT

70 Country Hills Court – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the first block of Country Hills Court in Danville was sold on June 30, 2023. The $2,300,000 purchase price works out to $806 per square foot. The house, built in 1990, has an interior space of 2,854 square feet. This single-story home presents a roomy floor plan, featuring four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The property is equipped with central A/C. In addition, the house includes an attached two-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements. The lot size of the property measures an impressive 0.4-acre.Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include:A 2,854-square-foot home on the first block of Northview Court in Danville sold in April 2023, for $2,650,000, a price per square foot of $929. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In October 2022, a 3,102-square-foot home on Chadbourne Court in Danville sold for $1,830,000, a price per square foot of $590. The home...

Minnesota visits New York following Stewart’s 33-point game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:40 GMT

Minnesota Lynx (11-13, 8-7 Western Conference) at New York Liberty (18-5, 11-3 Eastern Conference)New York; Friday, 8 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK WNBA LINE: Liberty -14.5; over/under is 168.5BOTTOM LINE: New York faces the Minnesota Lynx after Breanna Stewart scored 33 points in the New York Liberty’s 95-84 win against the Atlanta Dream.The Liberty are 10-3 in home games. New York is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 8.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Jonquel Jones averaging 2.3.The Lynx have gone 5-5 away from home. Minnesota is 3-7 in games decided by 10 points or more.The Liberty and Lynx face off Friday for the first time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Stewart is averaging 23.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Liberty. Sabrina Ionescu is averaging 15.9 points over the last 10 games for New York.Kayla McBride is averaging 12 points for the Lynx. Napheesa Collier is averaging 21.7 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 47.8% over the last 10 games for Minneso...

Several stars at the Women’s World Cup honed their skills with US collegiate teams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:40 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Christine Sinclair. Megan Rapinoe. Sarina Bolden. Like many players in the Women’s World Cup, all three stars built their skills at the U.S. collegiate level.Of the 736 players competing at this year’s Women’s World Cup, 137 have roots in American college-level soccer, according to the NCAA. The total includes 16 players who currently compete for Division I schools or lower divisions. Across the 32 teams that qualified for the group stage, more than one in every six players has had a career stop at an American school.Not all the NCAA athletes in the tournament are tied to the United States. Canada has 22 of 23 athletes who played or still play on U.S. college teams, most of any team in the tournament. That includes Sinclair, the the all-time leader in international goals for men and women, who played at the University of Portland. The United States ranks second with 20 players. Rapinoe also played at Portland, but Alyssa Thompson, Trinity Rodman, and L...